UNHRC – UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

“All victims of human rights abuses should be able to look to the Human Rights Council as a form and a springboard for action.”

– Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, 2007

Responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of Human Rights globally, 32 countries came together today to evoke the topic of health care as a universal human right. To open the floor, countries like Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, USA among others expressed their honour and gratitude to be involved in this fight for and by the people in order to ensure that all citizens of the world are provided with the same efficient and accessible rights when it comes to health care.

Mental stability makes a happier person

Following a motion proposed by Saudi Arabia, delegates were invited to point out the different obstacles faced to ultimately find solutions together as a united body. The main concern emphasised by China is mental health where only 1700 doctors are available for 1 million people dealing with mental issues. These citizens are very often neglected and countries like UAE and USA have shown their support and interest as its citizens are equally concerned.

The land is always greener elsewhere

Moreover, Philippines came forward with the issue of brain drain as it is the 2nd country after India to export its medical competency abroad. This is consequently affecting the country at all levels and the health sector has not been spared; There is a limited capacity when it comes to treatment and health assistance as numerous doctors are continuously moving to countries like UK or the USA and this has resulted into a limited capacity to provide efficient treatment. America has in return proposed to help in improving the infrastructure of Philippines and other countries faced with this issue as the lack of proper incentive is one of the reasons that may explain why doctors look for greener countries to work and live in. This will also consequently help people from rural areas to have access to a better and more efficient health care especially in countries like Angola, Kenya and Philippines.

Education – The most powerful weapon

Besides, epidemic diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis are slowly wide spreading and countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and China are the most concerned and especially Ukraine after being faced with numerous conflicts. This is where education acts as an important weapon in the prevention of such diseases. Many countries have shown their interest into investing more efficiently into the educational sector and the more citizens are informed and knowledgeable, the healthier they will be.

The interdependency of water and health

If health is a universal human right, water remains an equally natural and universal one where all nations rely on clean water in order to stay healthy. Unfortunately, even today in 2018 countries still denied access to it and countries like Ukraine have voiced out for urgent and imminent actions to be taken in the future as with clean water, the health of the people are definitely being jeopardised.

United despite the differences

However, countries have not always been on the same wave of length as each country is different in its own ways with historic, social and geographical disparities and as a result all solutions are not appropriate for all of them. It remains crucial to hence adapt solutions to each country depending on their situation while bearing in mind that all citizens and nations are treated equally. While some allied countries have agreed on the creation of a conference and a fund for a proper allocation when it comes to dealing with health care, others were more favourable for investing in research. In either ways, they are all aiming at making health care facilities more accessible, affordable and efficient for all their citizens in urban areas as much as in rural ones.

At the end of the day, what stands out of today’s session is that all countries be it developed or developing ones are all facing in a way or the other health problems and despite their differences, they are ready to lend a helping hand to help make the world a healthier place to live in because after all a healthy nation makes a wealthy nation.